Key Details
Launched at UNCCD COP17, the guide challenges the treatment of naturally open landscapes as degraded or unproductive merely because they have few trees. It provides an ecological knowledge base for recognising such areas as distinct ecosystems requiring context-specific conservation.
Area | Significance |
|---|---|
Ecosystems covered | Grasslands, savannas, scrublands, ravines, rocky plateaus, rangelands, deserts and coastal open ecosystems |
Geographical range | Includes Himalayan and Terai grasslands, the Thar and Banni landscapes and Deccan savannas |
Policy themes | Biodiversity, pastoralism, fire ecology, soil carbon, land degradation and landscape restoration |
Intended users | Policymakers, researchers, conservation practitioners, development agencies and communities |
Status | A scientific and policy reference guide; it does not create a new regulatory or funding framework |
Open Landscapes Are Not Incomplete Forests
The Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems of India highlights ecosystems often undervalued because they lack dense tree cover. Grasslands and other open landscapes support specialised wildlife, soil and water systems, below-ground carbon storage and pastoral livelihoods.
This distinction matters for restoration. Tree planting in naturally treeless landscapes can damage native habitats and reduce grazing areas. Appropriate restoration may instead require invasive-species control, native grasses, suitable grazing and fire regimes, and protection of seasonal water systems.
Ecology and Livelihoods Need to Be Assessed Together
The guide links these ecosystems with the communities and tribes that depend on them. It recognises that grazing is not inherently incompatible with conservation; its effects depend on intensity, timing and ecological conditions.
Similarly, periodic fire can be part of the natural functioning of some open ecosystems, while substantial carbon may be stored below ground. Assessments focused primarily on tree or canopy cover can therefore misrepresent their biodiversity and climate value.
Recognition Must Influence Land-Use Decisions
The guide can inform land-degradation assessment, restoration and landscape planning. Its impact will depend on whether open ecosystems are accurately mapped and considered before afforestation, infrastructure and land-conversion decisions.
It does not create a new statutory conservation category or announce inventory deadlines, dedicated financing or restoration targets. Translating recognition into protection will therefore require subsequent policy and administrative action.
What Are Open Natural Ecosystems?
Open Natural Ecosystems, or ONEs, are naturally occurring landscapes with limited tree cover, including grasslands, savannas, deserts, scrublands and rocky plateaus. Their openness is an ecological characteristic — not necessarily evidence that the land is degraded or available for tree planting.
Policy Relevance
Land classification needs ecological precision. Revenue and planning records should distinguish natural grasslands and scrublands from genuinely degraded land.
Afforestation must be ecosystem-appropriate. Tree-planting programmes should screen sites to avoid converting valuable open habitats.
Restoration indicators should extend beyond tree cover. Native vegetation, soil health, water functions, biodiversity and livelihood outcomes offer a more suitable basis for assessing grassland recovery.
Pastoral communities are essential governance partners. Grazing access, customary institutions and local ecological knowledge should inform conservation plans.
Better mapping can strengthen land-degradation policy. A scientifically validated national inventory could help align conservation decisions with India’s Land Degradation Neutrality commitments.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: Will recognition of open natural ecosystems lead to changes in land classification, restoration funding and project appraisal, or remain primarily a scientific reference?
Follow the Full Update Here: India Launches First-Ever Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems